Married Life of the Adult Child 
 

There were no stairs. Only a ladder
in a curtained-off corner 
and you had to pull yourselves up 
through a hole in the ceiling. 
Sometimes a door 
would open on the first floor, 
a draft part the curtains: 
a ray of light reveal a warmth 
in contrast to the dirt and clutter 
of the passage. 
Neighbor children would 
sometimes be there –their 
embarrassed silence reminded you 
of the brother and sister 
you hadn’t seen 
since moving here. You were
busy cleaning blinds, writing grants 
putting the past behind you. 
How easy it would’ve  
been to reach out and say hi.







Gerald Yelle has worked in restaurants, factories, schools and offices. His books include The Bored, The Holyoke Diaries  and Dreaming Alone and with Others. His chapbooks include No Place I Would Rather Be and A Box of Rooms. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.